The following letter has been provided to the Crater Rim Ultra from our winner of the Spirit of the Race Award recipient from 2017...
 
Do you know why the Spirit of Competitive Sportsmanship is the most important award at the Crater Rim Ultra?
 
As winner of the 2017 Spirit of Competitive Sportsmanship Award, I feel the need to offer some pre-race observations befitting of this noble and humbling award. It’s that, or I’m in the throes of taper madness and desperately trying to distract myself for another 24 hours or so, just like you, so here’ goes:
 
 
Crater Rim Ultra 52k was my first ultra and completed in a time of 10 hours and 48 glorious seconds. I was last. To complete this wonderful race, every single volunteer waited for us to do what we love, cheered us on and took pleasure in our pursuit of personal performances that push us to find our limits. I can still hear Tail-End-Charlie, Logan saying, “No you’re not, I am,” every time we came to a marshal, or aid station and I cheerfully said, “I’m the last one! Thanks for waiting. You can finish now.” I’m so freakin’ proud of that time and placing.
 
Do you know why?
 
Someone has to come last, or it’s not a race.
It allows everyone else a reference point to validate their time and placing and take pride in their own efforts and achievements. The person in front of me was probably thinking, Yes! I’m not last! And that’s really cool, too. Someone also has to come first so we can be awed and inspired by their feats of physical prowess. I know I saw that time of 4:38 and was seriously impressed, and then I saw the youtube clip of Weston running and filming himself. Mind blowing!
But the award isn’t for coming last.
 
Do you know why?
 
Good leaders, don’t always lead from the front, they lead us to do better.
For some of you, this is your first Ultra, and I’m betting you looked up that last place time of mine and thought, “I could actually do that.” You did the maths, worked out the kmph and thought even if… you could still do it. Damn Skippy, you can, and you are going to prove that to yourself, and the rest of us, on Sunday. You have spent months and miles preparing for this moment to make this ultra marathon, and deserve your moment to shine. And I’m gunna love running with you while you do it.
Before this race, I’d never done more than flat, road half marathons. Jamie Hawker said, of course you can, so here we are. The only person to see me complete my first marathon, was Logan.
Best. High-five. Ever.
But the award isn’t for doing something for the first time.
 
Do you know why?
 
He waka eke noa- we are all in the same boat together.
Mark, the medic who ran with Logan and I, was carrying an injury. He had to tap out at Sign of the Kiwi, anyway, but there was a moment somewhere near Bellbird when he commented on his soreness. The irony of me suddenly stopping, turning to ask if he was ok, and saying we could stop right now and get help, took a moment to kick in. It was helped by the horrified look on his face and an indignant huff,
“No! Keep going!”  
On that course last year, there will have been other such moments of true sportsmanship between us fellow runners: Jokes told to distract each other, gels and lollies shared, photos taken, encouraging words said, hands held out after falls, scrapes checked, and drinks shared. Every one of you who have done one of these things for a fellow competitor, deserve that award.
But you don’t get the award for just doing it.
 
Do you know why?
 
Someone has to tell Jamie and the crew what you did.
Ultra marathons exhaust our mental, physical and emotional limits, and have the potential to turn each of us into selfish, self-centred, myopic monsters. The true spirit of competitive sportsmanship is to be the very best human being you can be in the most trying of circumstances, even when you think no one is around to notice. It might be that chap who passes ten of us going uphill and chats for a few minutes while we are gasping for breath, before carrying on. It might be a rude joke that makes us giggle so much we lose our stride. It might be a just reassuring,
“It’s alright to cry. Everyone cries at some point during an ultra.”
 It’s those private, magic moments of camaraderie we competitors create that need to be shared and acknowledged. So it’s up to the 135 of us ultra-marathoners, to choose which one of us deserve this award. Tell your stories to Jamie and the crew, share the magic, inspire others. I do know who ever we choose will feel deeply humbled, and I’ll be looking for your spirit of competitive sportsmanship.
 
See you at the start, and if you’re behind me, the finish too.